UGANDA: Uganda With KOS Safaris - This Is My Story

[VertigoBE]

Waidmannsheil on some amazing animals taken! Well done and thanks for sharing with us!

 

[Cleathorn]

Thanks for the report. I’m strongly considering KOS for a 2026 safari.

I am curious—you mentioned deferring the auction hunt a year to get everything on quota, but the animals you harvested seem to be inclusive of their routine auction package. Did you intend to add something else?

I recognize the importance of booking early as I’d like to hunt Sudanese roan, topi, and Chanler’s mountain reedbuck. Did you observe roan and topi in reasonable numbers?

Does KOS have maneless zebra quota? I saw the UWS offers them.

Bivy - I appreciate our reading the report so carefully as to pick up on that issue. Thank you.

The auction was in January of 2023. Since there season starts/runs from January through late April/May, they were already hurting. I can travel on short notice, so I would have bought the hunt in January and then travelled anytime from Jan/April to do the hunt right away to within a few months.

Since the season was already underway, and the quotas vary by species (e.g., they might have 20 Oribi but only 1/2 that of dik-dik). I dont actually know what quota thye have on which species, you'll have to ask Abe. I know he'll be at SCI or I can send you his number.

Anyway, there was a quota issue with something for that season. Might have been dik-dik, but I haven't looked through all my WhatsApp message to confirm. So, I bought the hunt in mid-January of 2023 and left on December 31sdt of 2023 to start hunting on Jan 3 of 2024.

I do not think there is a quota in the Pain Upe so they would have to hunt another area where there is quota. The guys in Uganda seem to organize that a lot. I think they do have a small quota on Topi, which is pretty cool, and some very good Topi, so I would check into that if I were you.

 

[Cleathorn]

Bivy - I appreciate our reading the report so carefully as to pick up on that issue. Thank you.

Sorry Bivy - forgot to answer the rest of your question. I saw Roan and Topi is very good numbers. They have done a good job in managing the species. In addition to good numbers, I saw excellent animal quality. We saw a Roan bull that was so old and impressive that I attempted some field negotiations to see there was any way to take that bull. There was simply know way to make it work, the quota was allocated. Its hunting, so I cant speak to 2026, but what I saw this year on Sudanese Roan and Topi was impressive.

The area where they hunt they Chandlery's is nearby and visible from camp. We hunted along the base, but did not go up enough to see any, so I cannot saw I saw them and judge numbers. But we discussed it - and I am very confident that there are plenty of Chandler's to be hunted.

 

[7mmFan]

Awesome report! Sounds like a great hunt. Congrats and thanks for sharing!

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Congrats on an exceptional hunt! Thanks for sharing with us.

 

[Macduff]

Well written! It sounds like a great trip.

 

[AZDAVE]

Like your writeup. The eland and warthog are my favorite of the animals you harvested. Thank you for taking the time to write up your adventure.

 

[ActionBob]

Thanks for the write up! Uganda is definitely on my list of places to go eventually. I'm sure @Just Gina would enjoy it as well

 

[RESERVE RANCH]

Great report @Cleathorn, Pian Upe is a magical place of such beauty and diversity. I feel Blessed to have hunted there.

John Ed

 

[Fatback]

Wonderful write up. Reports like these keep bringing Uganda to the top of my list of future safari destinations. Thanks for sharing with us.

 

[Tra3]

I enjoyed your writing! Thank you for this report.

if you were to rate different places you’ve hunted in level of complexity of travel, how would this hunt compare? (Not just flying there, but all the aspects together)

 

[Cleathorn]

I enjoyed your writing! Thank you for this report.

if you were to rate different places you’ve hunted in level of complexity of travel, how would this hunt compare? (Not just flying there, but all the aspects together)

Interesting question. I'd put it at a 5 of 10. The three best ways of getting there, that I found, were: 1) direct into Entebbe from Brussels on KLM (I think); 2) US to Germany on United/Lufthansa, then a Lufthansa flight into Nairobi, then Nairobi into Entebbe; 3) US to Jo'Berg and then into Entebbe. I flew through Europe into Nairobi. Abe Langley arrived from the UK via Brussels. My PH from Zimbabwe came via Jo'Berg. We all got there.

Once there, the roads are actually quite good. Its paved most of the way from Entebbe to the hunting area, and they are working on the main road near camp. Its a Turkish contractor/engineer and they are doing a very good job. Entebbe to the hunting area via car requires you to go around the capital of Kampala. A lot of traffic and motorbikes around Kampala. Kampala always seems to be busy and it is a bit slow going, but not ridiculous.

You can charter a plane, but I usually don't do that. I actually like seeing the Country. The charters seem to be decent planes and reliable.

Once you are on the dirt roads, there are well, dirt roads in Africa. Its exactly what you would expect. Basically I would say its comparable to Zimbabwe. The paved roads are better than Zimbabwe, but there are many more people in Uganda than in Zim so that adds to the issue.

Ugandans are also pretty nice. I did not see crime as any kind of problem, and we always felt very safe. You do not see a lot of westerners in Uganda, but the few you see seem to be doing just fine. We saw some solo travelers and women, and they all felt safe. I have 2 teenage daughters that are doing service work in Uganda this summer, and we are not worried (we also met with and vetted the security team for that).

In general, I would not say logistics or in country travel was an issue.